Is it true that cricketers are either a Boycott or a Botham?

It's often said to be the case that you are either cautious in nature and play safe (Boycott) or flamboyant and risky (Botham).

In fact, I have found that good players can operate using both philosophies depending on the game situation. Even Boycott could attack when he felt it needed (which wasn't very often).

Steve Waugh was the master of 'mental disintegration': the process of wearing down a team's confidence until he is paralysed by self doubt.

It's a powerful, often aggressive weapon that won't make you many friends if you use it as a bowler or captain, but you can still use a version of the technique that can be just as effective as Waugh used and still be able to have a drink in the bar with the opposition batsman afterwards.

Ever wonder how international batsmen have the cheek to play those audacious shots at the end of one day innings?

You know the ones: stepping across the line or making room to drive. Sweeping the fast bowler and reverse slog sweeps for six.

Bowlers are the same when the come up with slower balls, cutters and variations galore as the overs clock ticks down.

Innovative batsmen are constantly messing about with tried and tested batting formulas. It's all in the name of getting the advantage in their quest for fast, big innings.

Matthew Hayden and Kevin Pietersen are both batsmen who are innovating in this way: Coming down the pitch to seamers in order to disrupt their line and upset their rhythm.

Cricket is no different to life: Teams and individuals operate best when they feel in control of a situation.

Unfortunately, the unpredictability of a cricket match makes it hard to keep this feeling. It's also why you find so many superstitious cricketers with lucky socks putting their left shoe on first: It provides the illusion of control.

Is there any more maligned a shot in club cricket than going over the top?

Almost any shot in the air is usually derided as a clue that the batsman is about to hit one straight to mid off or that he is a desperate slogger with no panaché.

But well selected lofted shots are a fantastic way to infuriate bowlers and manipulate the strike. As Robert Croft of Glamorgan says, there are no fielders in the air. You just have to make sure you hit it hard and high enough.

I was watching the highlights of the Australia Day ODI and in his analysis Tony Greig brought up the role club cricket has in making a strong national team.

Tony's argument can be summed up in an interview he did with the Guardian back in 2003:

"The problems with English cricket are not to do with the odd blunder by a captain or a lack of talent. The problem is that there is no meaningful amateur game. The sooner the ECB persuades the MCC to take total responsibility for the amateur game, and the sooner the MCC develops a format which allows a kid to work and still have an avenue to progress to international honours, the better.

Great cricket teams can do extraordinary things. But greatness is not just a matter of individual talent. The captain has a key role in bringing the best out of every player and merging them into a successful team.

In "The Art of Captaincy" England's finest leader, Mike Brearley, outlines how captains (and senior players) can build 11 players into a formidable unit:

Dave is a budding leg spin bowler putting in a lot of practice and keeping track of things on his blog. One of the critical factors for his team is getting the early advantage:

"I reckon we've got the psychological edge on them already, they'll all be thinking now - 'that's why that twat walks around with a cricket ball all the time' then realise I've been doing so for months and that we might be serious about this!? The plan is coming together - I can smell victory already, we've already won the psychological battle, all we need to do is turn the screws a bit more......"

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

A while back I gave you some tips on spin bowling tactics for club cricket (although a lot of it works just as well at higher levels too).